William Richard Beckford Miller (25 March 1769 – 25 October 1844) was one of the leading English publishers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, known for his popular and expensive titles. He began publishing on his own in 1790 at Bond Street in London. In 1812 he retired, aged 42, selling his business and 50 Albemarle Street, his London home, to John Murray, the second publisher of that name.
Origins and early life
William Miller was born at Bungay, Suffolk, on 25 March 1769, the only son of Thomas Miller (1731–1804), a local bookseller and antiquarian, and Sally Kingsbury (1741–1773) of Waveney House, Bungay, daughter of a maltster. As William Miller tells in an unpublished memoir, his paternal grandfather was "a respectable Paviour", who completely repaved the streets of Norwich and Bury St. Edmund's.
When a youth William showed a talent and a taste for drawing, and Sir Joshua Reynolds advised that he enter the Royal Academy as a student. His stay at the Academy proved short. In 1787 he was placed in Hookham's publishing house.
Career as a publisher, 1790-1812
In 1790 William Miller commenced business on his own account in Bond Street, London. The first book he issued was his uncle Dr. Edward Miller's Select Portions of the New Version of the Psalms of David, with Music.
A series of publications followed in large quarto, illustrating the costumes of various countries. Furnished with descriptions in English and French, they brought Miller considerable profit. Among his other successful ventures were Hewlett's Views of Lincolnshire, John Stoddart's Remarks upon Scotland and Forster's edition of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, illustrated by Robert Smirke. In 1804 Miller removed to a larger house in Albemarle Street, where he continued until his retirement from the publishing business. In 1812 Miller sold the premises, copyrights and business to John Murray for the considerable sum of £3,822 pounds, 12 shillings and sixpence.
During his last twelve years in business Miller issued some of "the most popular as well as expensive and splendid works" then published. The author of a 2005 collection of biographical notes about Miller and his family comments that while researching his life she came across numerous of William Miller's books "for sale at huge prices on the websites of antiquarian booksellers and auction houses". The British Library and the New York Public Library, she adds, both have "numerous illustrations from his books displayed on their sites".
Some of Miller's titles
Miller took a fourth share in certain popular poems by Sir Walter Scott ("Marmion", "The Lady of the Lake"), and was sole publisher of Scott's edition of The entire works of Dryden in 18 volumes octavo. He printed, in royal Quarto, The Costumes in coloured plates of China, Russia, Turkey, Austria and England and, at the other end of the scale, issued The Miseries of Human Life by the Reverend J. Beresford, which Miller described as the "most popular little work of the day", passing through several editions in a few months.
He published The Antient Drama and The British Drama: Shakespeare in 7 volumes. He issued the antiquarian Francis Blomefield's History of Norfolk in a new edition of 10 volumes, Royal octavo, and Samuel Richardson's works in nineteen small octavo volumes. The Travels of Viscount Valentia, Sir Richard Colt Hoare's Giraldus Cambrensis and the same author's Ancient History of South Wiltshire, Vol. 1, were among his most splendid undertakings. His British Gallery was notable for the excellence of the engravings from "pictures of the Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch and English Schools now in the possession of the King and the Noblemen and Gentlemen of the United Kingdom".
After 14 years of retirement Miller published two quarto volumes of Biographical Sketches of British Characters recently deceased, commencing with the Accession of George the Fourth, with a list of their Engraved Portraits. He announced, but did not print, a continuation.
A less successful venture and an unfortunate decision
For the copyright of Charles James Fox's Historical Fragments (A History of the Reign of James II) Miller paid £4,500, hitherto the largest sum ever given for a literary property. Five thousand copies were printed in demy quarto, selling at £1.16s.0d. each; 250 copies on royal quarto, at £2.12s.6d. each; and fifty were printed upon elephant size quarto, selling at £5.0s.0d. a copy. Miller barely cleared his expenses by the speculation. It was, Miller wrote in 1841, "a lofty sum for a work of such scanty size & scanty merit".